


icarus

by lazyfish



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 21:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15760179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyfish/pseuds/lazyfish
Summary: In which Fitz flies too close to the sun.





	icarus

There is a god, clothed in gold, who stampedes across the sky every day with the chariot of the sun blazing behind him.

For as long as he can remember, Fitz has watched the sky for a glimpse of the sun god. He watches until freckles bloom on his skin like wildflowers and his lips are dry and chapped. When he forgoes a shirt to rid himself of the oppressive heat, burns spread across his back like wings. But still, he thinks to himself, _one day I am going to touch the sun._

\---

Fitz is just a day past twenty the first day he finally sees the sun god’s face. He’s standing on the edge of a seaside cliff, as close to touching the sky as he can get, and he cranes his neck upwards as the sun passes overhead. That’s when he sees the face.

It surprises Fitz, because if the god weren’t surrounded by a faint golden aura, he would look positively mortal. Fitz registers the bright hazel eyes, the scrub of facial hair, the teasing grin - and then, just as quickly as he had come, the god is gone, dashing towards sunset. Joy sparks deep in Fitz’s stomach, his childhood dream remembered as he bathes in the sunshine.

\---

It’s just past dusk when he meets Lance Hunter for the first time, walking on the beach and collecting gull feathers for a project that’s been stirring in the back of his head for the past half a decade. He hasn’t seen the sun god again since that day, but that one moment is still etched into his brain.

Maybe that’s why he sees something familiar in Hunter’s eyes, which are a shade of hazel so close to the color of the eyes in his memory. They’re just a tad too dark, though, and Fitz laughs off the resemblance as he and his new friend amble across the sand. Hunter is eager to listen to Fitz’s plan to create his own wings, and after having people scoff at him for his ideas, Fitz is relieved to have someone to talk to.

It takes him less than one full night to reach the conclusion that he likes Lance Hunter quite a lot.

\---

The original flicker of affection he feels for Hunter catches light somewhere along the line, and Fitz can’t help but feel that it is something dangerous. For one thing, he never sees his friend except for after dark, and Hunter gracefully dodges any and all questioning about his whereabouts during the daytime. He’s also unwilling to speak about his family; as far as Fitz can tell, Hunter’s relationship with his father is strained. He has a sister he loves, but who he never gets to see, and a veritable pantheon of meddling aunts and uncles, but he never names them - not even once. It’s strange.

Fitz hates to admit it, but the danger of it becomes a bit thrilling after a while. Perhaps the biggest thrill of all is when he and Hunter end up on the beach again. Instead of side-by-side, though, Fitz is on top of Hunter, lips pressing together in a frantic throb that echoes the beat of his heart. There are vast swathes of sun-kissed skin on Hunter’s body that demand to be worshipped, and Fitz divests him of his clothing so that it can be done properly.

The night is cool, but Hunter’s heat chases the chill away. They fall asleep like that, tangled together.

Hunter is gone when dawn comes.

\---

In some ways, Fitz feels as if he’s torn between two lovers; the sun god of the day, and Hunter of the night. Even if time has dulled a bit of his fervor, Fitz is still determined that one day, he will meet the sun god, face to face.

This means spending less time with Hunter, though Fitz was inclined to do that anyways, since Hunter had never given an explanation for his abandonment. He smiles a sad kind of smile whenever Fitz brings it up. _I hope one day you’ll understand_ , he says. Fitz does understand abandonment, though, all too well. He doesn’t tell Hunter this, keeping the secret close to his chest.

Their walks on the beach still happen, albeit less frequently than before. They steal kisses in the moonlight and in the shadows, walking together for miles upon miles. Fitz occasionally kicks his foot into the surf, but Hunter stays far back from the water line.

 _Be careful_ , his lover warns, _or one day this same ocean might drown you_.

Fitz laughs, because oceans cannot take offense to things. Gods can, of course, but he’s certain that his obsession with the sun god has long since lost him favor with the rest of the celestials. He chose when he was a boy, and Fitz is stubborn - he won’t go back on that choice.

\---

 _I won’t see you tomorrow_ , Fitz tells Hunter one day on the beach. His wings are finished - thousands of feathers, carefully glued together with wax, large enough to carry him into the embrace of the sun god. He has a plan, and it seems flawless. He remembers the day on the cliff, remembers the time that the sun god had flown overhead. Now, Fitz can chase him, and ask him his secrets, discover _why_ he has been so enamored with someone he’s never met before.

 _Do you have to?_ Hunter asks him. Like it’s a choice, instead of a compulsion. Somewhere along the way, he had become one of the doubters that had chafed at Fitz’s heart and soul. He frowns, but Hunter continues. _You shine brighter than any sun, love_.

For a moment, Fitz swears that Hunter’s eyes brighten until they’re the color of molten gold, but the illusion is gone instantly. He’s going a bit crazy from a lack of sleep, Fitz thinks. But it’s okay - when he finishes this project, he’ll be able to sleep soundly again.

Hunter kisses him goodnight, and Fitz’s lips feel like they’re burning. If he had thought to look in the mirror, he would have seen that his lips were dry like they had been after spending all day beneath the sunshine. If he had thought to look at his back, he would have seen sunburns in the shape of his lover’s hands.

But he didn’t think to look.

\---

Fitz knows it should not take much time to fall, but the moments stretch into hours as he plummets down, down, down.

In hindsight, the wax had not been a good idea.

It occurs to him that it is ridiculous that at a moment like this, he is just thinking about the wax, because there are so many other things to think about.

Lance Hunter is the god of the sun. Lance Hunter, the man he loved, was not a man, but a god. Lance Hunter, the man - god - he loved, was watching him drop like a stone towards the ocean - the very same ocean he had once warned could kill Fitz. Had it been a prophecy?

It didn’t matter now. He had flown too close to the sun, and it was going to kill him.

He hits the water with a splash.

\---

When Fitz opens his eyes again, he’s expecting to be rowed down the River Styx, towards whatever future awaits him. Would he be praised for his genius, or punished for his folly? 

Neither happens, because when he wakes up, he's not on the Styx.

There are arms, warm and secure around him. Fitz recognizes the shape of them and the weight of them, and he blinks at Hunter.

 _What are you doing?_ He asks.

 _Could ask you the same thing._ Hunter looks somewhere between scared and angry as he cradles Fitz closer to his chest.

 _I just wanted to see the sun god_ , Fitz says. _I didn’t realize he was right in front of me._

Hunter looks guiltily at Fitz. Apologizes softly, as if he’s afraid he’s going to be rebuked. He’s not, because Fitz doesn’t have the strength, nor does he have the time to say anything more before falling asleep on Hunter's shoulder.

\---

He realizes the truth when morning comes, and Hunter is still by his bedside.

 _You didn’t_ , Fitz says.

Hunter nods. He did, and they both know it now.

 _I told you_ , he murmurs as he wraps his arms around Fitz’s waist, watching as his chariot gallops across the sky without him. _You shine brighter than any sun_.

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on [tumblr](https://huntxngbxrd.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
